Chairman Mao Praises the Reception Work Done For Revolutionary Youngsters

IN the last few months 11 million revolutionary students and teachers from all parts of the country came to Peking to see our great leader Chairman Mao. The Chinese People's Liberation Army sent more than 100.000 commanders and fighters to take part in the colossal work involved in making the visitors feel at home in the capital. They were with the revolutionary youngsters all the time and lavished great care on them, living, eating and studying with them. On December 19, leading comrades of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and of various government departments received these P.L.A. men together with the Party and government functionaries who had taken part in the reception work. Riding in open cars, they braved a cold wind and drove slowly round the track of the Peking Workers' Stadium to receive the P.L.A. men. Comrade Hsiao Hua, Director of the General Political Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, spoke first at the meeting on behalf of Comrade Lin Piao, the Military Commission of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the P.L.A.’s other General Departments. He said. "In a selfless revolutionary spirit and with full revolutionary enthusiasm, you have done an excellent job in looking after Chairman Mao's guests." Comrade Chiang Ching, first deputy leader of the Cultural Revolution Group under the Party's Central Committee, addressed the gathering with great warmth. She said: "Chairman Mao sends you his best regards! You all must want to know how Chairman Mao is. Let me tell you: He is in robust health!"At that moment, thunderous shouts of "Long live Chairman Mao, long, long life to him!" burst out. Comrade Chiang Ching said that the armymen and the functionaries had done much in serving the young Red Guard fighters in the great proletarian cultural revolution. Their work had enabled revolutionary students and teachers from all parts of the country to see Chairman Mao and his close comrade-in-arms Comrade Lin Piao, Comrade Chou En-lai, and other leading comrades of the Party's Central Committee. "You have done an excellent job!" she said. "You are an invincible force. This is because you are a people's army armed with Marxism-Leninism, Mao Tse-tung's thought." Comrade Chen Po-ta, Standing Committee Member of the Political Bureau and leader of the Cultural Revolution Group of the Party's Central Committee, commended the P.L.A. commanders and fighters for their work. He said, "You have done excellent reception work and deserve the reputation accorded to soldiers of the great Chairman Mao. What you have done is in keeping with the great honour of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. You have truly carried out the army's aim of serving the people as set by Chairman Mao. You are worthy of the name of a people's army of the proletariat." Comrade Chen Po-ta continued: "There has never been an army like yours in the history of the world. With an army like yours armed with Mao Tse-tung's thought, we are invincible. All enemies, be they imperialists, revisionists or monsters and demons, can be smashed to pieces in your hands. Led by Chairman Mao and Comrade Lin Piao, you have truly understood how to serve the people. Here we should learn from you. We are your pupils, and as pupils we hope to march forward with you our teachers." Comrade Chou En-lai, Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Party's Central Committee and Premier, then spoke amid stormy applause. In the name of the great leader Chairman Mao and his close comrade-in-arms Comrade Lin Piao, the Party's Central Committee and the State Council, Premier Chou En-lai extended warm regards to all who had taken part in the reception work. He said: "Chairman Mao has said that you have done a grand job in the present great proletarian cultural revolution." "First of all, you have done very well in learning from the masses. You have looked after group after group of revolutionary students and teachers from all over the country who were received by Chairman Mao. The present great cultural revolution, personally led by Chairman Mao, has unfolded vigorously. It has no parallel in history. Every one of us must learn from the masses. You who have had personal contact with many revolutionary young fighters have learnt from their revolutionary spirit of daring to think, to speak, to break through, to make revolution and to rebel." Premier Chou En-lai continued: "You are very good propagandists of Mao Tse-tung's thought. You are very good at creatively studying and applying Chairman Mao's works and doing propaganda work among the revolutionary students and teachers. You have helped train the revolutionary young fighters. It must have been very intense, heavy and meticulous work, making them feel at home and then seeing them off.

It was actually a large-scale rehearsal in serving the people. You have also performed duties of defending the great cultural revolution which drew such a great number of revolutionary students and teachers to Peking. At the peak, there were more than 3 million revolutionary students and teachers in Peking and yet order was very good. This has made a very deep impression on the people and foreign friends, demonstrating the great and unparalleled strength of the Chinese people under the guidance of Mao Tse-tung's thought."

In conclusion, Premier Chou En-lai said: "The situation in our great proletarian cultural revolution is excellent. This great revolution is forging ahead vigorously and extensively. However, it has not been smooth sailing all the way without any resistance. In fact, a handful of persons in authority taking the capitalist road and ogres of all descriptions are not resigned to defeat; they are bound to make a desperate last-ditch struggle. We must keep our eyes open, and, while practising extensive proletarian democracy, strengthen the dictatorship of the proletariat. We must rely on the masses to root out and overthrow the counter-revolutionaries who dare to sabotage the cultural revolution. The current great proletarian cultural revolution, personally launched and led by our great leader Chairman Mao, has inspired revolutionary people not only in China but throughout the world. The hidden counter-revolutionaries in China and also the imperialists, the modern revisionists and all reactionaries in the world have been scared stiff by it!" The meeting ended with Comrade Chou En-lai conducting all those present in singing the song Sailing the Seas Depends on the Helmsman.